A Candle in the Wind
by Neisha
Summary: I have no need for a mate, Kagome, no need at all. I already found mine," he whispered, his breath teasing past her ear, his tongue touching softly on her skin, "if she'll have me." InuXKag..Lemon Warning Rated M..


I do not own Inuyasha or its characters...I want to thank Almandine-Azaleea for editing this for me. ..and LEMON warning..

ONESHOT...

A Candle in the Wind

Things never did seem to turn out they way they were supposed to. Sure, Naraku had been defeated, and the Shikon Jewel was now as whole and pure as it had been in the days that Kikyo had guarded it, but Kagome's heart, was a different matter entirely.

Sango and Miroku had married once his wind tunnel had disappeared, and now they were expecting their first child. Shippo had gone on to stay with them for the summer, his attention straying to one young girl by the name of Hitsume.

Spring had come and with it came young love in all its forms-all but the one form she wished for all the time.

His love. Complete and undivided.

And still, summer followed, bringing with it all its new, young mothers preparing their homes for the impending arrival of their babes, and still she was alone, no mate to call her own, no child growing within her womb, no-one to love on the lonely nights that seemed to loom ahead of her.

But Inuyasha was still the same hanyou he'd always been. Still content with their being friends though all their previous ties had long since been resolved: Kikyo had been laid to rest, and Koga had finally accepted her decision against becoming his mate and had gone on in search of Ayame . Even Kirara had found herself a mate.

But Kagome, she had stayed true to her word, had stayed by her hanyou through thick and thin though her heart cried out for a mate of its own. They continued traveling, never remaining long in any one place. They were both restless and, though neither would openly admit to the other, they each felt lonely, and tonight was no different. She found herself wondering aimlessly, alone in the depths of darkness that enveloped the land within its vast reaches- merely another lost soul amidst.

She made her way down the beach. It had been years since they'd visited the place. They'd fought bat demons here some years ago, had even saved a young half demon girl from her grandfather, but in all the years since then this was the first time they'd been back.

She tripped over her feet, the flame of the candle she'd brought with her flickered within the breeze, it's orange light dancing on some unheard melody, its wax splashing within the seashell its owner had used for its base. Regaining her balance, she gazed around her.

The sun bowed elegantly in the distance, its sphere of warmth disappearing beneath the sea of glass in a sunset she swore she'd never forget. Calm seas danced in the distance beneath the blushing sky, their waves coming and going with an unwavering certainty.

Day melted into dusk with a reflection of a sea of calm blue passion whose arms seemed to welcome it lovingly like a lover gone too long. She wondered what it would be like to welcome him home with open arms; to hold him with a passion unhindered by anyone's blatant expectations of what love should entail.

Truth be told, though, she doubted she would ever really be given the chance to try.

A falling star in the distance fell from its perch in heaven, trailing a misty path in its wake. Its fading light spoke to her of a glimmer of a fairy-tale wish, hidden still in the recesses of her mind. It reminded her of her own wish so many years ago.

" I wish he would love me."

But life was far from a world of fairy tales and dreams and though the things she had witnessed in her short time upon the earth had indeed been nothing short of a fairy tale , it had been far from the ' happily ever after ' that had always seemed to be the ending phrase of such stories. She was, it seemed, still in search of hers.

She sat upon the sand, her head still wrapped within thoughts surrounding her hanyou. wondering where he'd disappeared to tonight. He'd left shortly before she had, but she didn't question him. She almost felt as if they were drifting apart in their unwillingness to communicate, but she just couldn't find it in her heart to push him.

The sand drifted easily through her toes, its cool texture tickling her and she smiled lightly, her heart lifting. She was here, alive. Tomorrow she'd wake to another day and together she and Inuyasha would find a new place to visit. But at least they'd be together. And that was all she could ask for. A least she had that.

X

Inuyasha stood on a cliff over looking the beach below. The sunset danced upon the sea in a sparkling display of reds and oranges splashed here and there as if in an artists' amused display of the fiery hell he had known the past few months.

Mating season had come and all the creatures, human and otherwise were laying claim to the females they had deemed their mates...all but him.

He waited...still. He'd fought off the many advances of lesser demons who had sought after Kagome's attentions, most done without her knowledge, but he hadn't been able to tell her himself of the desires he'd felt building deep within his own heart. He'd even gone so far as of late to take her clear away from their normal travels as to avoid those who may have developed feelings for her through the years who now thought she might be free to receive their advances.

Well, damn it, she wasn't...She was his...but was she really?

He watched her stumble over her own two feet, her clumsiness bringing a small smile to his face. She was beautiful standing there, hair laying unbound down her back, a loose fitting silk cloth draping over her figure. A night gown she'd called it.

She hadn't gone back to her own time in a month now, hadn't even really bothered him with her usual nagging about needing to check in, but he realized that she was well past the age of checking in. Perhaps he'd take her back as a surprise. He wondered why she hadn't returned to her time permanently, their quest for the jewel shards was done, the jewel having been laid to rest with Kikyo. Yet she remained. He knew she cared for him, had known for the longest time now. He'd known the first time she'd shed tears when finding him with Kikyo.

His brothers' aura brushed against his though he didn't respond. He'd grown accustomed to his unannounced appearance over the course of the last few years, and had even begun to welcome it. He appeared on a whim, as if he were simply just out riding the breeze and happened upon him, though quite often he wondered if Sesshomaru simply kept tabs on him as he seemed to have a knack for showing up at just the right time.

"Why do you not mate the wench, Inuyasha?" he asked studying the girl in question as she sat upon the sand, with a small smile upon her face.

"Are you spying, Sesshomaru, or do you simply have nothing better to do than to bore yourself with your half-breed brothers' love life?" Inuyasha answered, his tone light.

"I grow weary of watching you waste the girls life away by keeping her at your side and not giving her what you both truly desire." Sesshomaru answered, his face turned toward his brother.

"And what would you know of this Sesshomaru, you have no room to talk. What of Rin? You have had her at your side for nearly as long as I have Kagome, and yet you still have yet to mate her. I am certain she is of age now. What is it you are waiting for? And please do not proceed to bore me with your ranting about human women not being worthy of such things. " Inuyasha grunted.

"This does not concern me, and you know it little brother. There are those who will come for your Kagome, who will take her willing or not just for the sake of controlling her power. She is very powerful, you know this as well as I, but it won't take long before others take notice as well. She is fair game Inuyasha. In the world of demons what is unmarked is available and free for the taking, and for those who have no honour, willingness is simply not a concern."

"I am nothing but a half demon. You yourself have stated as much on more than one occasion. What could I possibly offer her? She is of a pure, powerful bloodline. She deserves someone equal to her. I am not that man." Inuyasha replied.

"Then you are a fool. In you resides the blood of our Father. You carry the blood of one greater than any of those around you. It matters not that you are of human blood as well. It is our Father's blood that courses through your veins, it is our Father who bestowed upon you the sword that even now resides at your hip, and it is our Fathers' blood that overpowers the human blood within you. It isn't just the blood in you that makes you the demon that you have become, Inuyasha. It is the heart that beats within your chest. It is the honour that you hold to, and the greatness you aspire to become. It is what you protect that makes you what you are. Have you anyone to protect, Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha stood silent even after his brothers' aura disappeared, his question still bouncing within his mind.

Of course he had something to protect...Kagome...and in all these years she'd accepted him as he was...a half demon... Damn him, but he was right...and his next visit would be to the Western Lands to offer his own advice to his older brother, but for now he had a certain miko he needed to have a word with.

Making his way from the cliff was a simple task, nothing horrendous occurring on the way, nothing except the speeding of his heart as it threatened to erupt from within the chest that caged it. His demon seemed to dance within him, its excitement at finally being allowed to take its mate nearly uncontrolled as he made his way through the sand to stand behind his Kagome. He could hear her heart beat, slow and steady. Her scent circled around him as it taunted his demon in a loving caress.

Kami how he loved this woman!

He knelt behind her, his hands, though hesitant, finally coming to rest softly on her shoulders. She knew he was there, he could tell by the way she relaxed beneath his touch, by the way her heart sped up at the slightest contact or the way she bristled and sighed as his breath brushed past the tender back side of her neck.

"Why do you stay with me Kagome?" he whispered smiling slightly as she leaned into him.

"You know why I stay Inuyasha. I will always stay. I promised, remember?"

"A promise. Is that the only reason?" he murmured.

"And a wish." came her soft reply.

"What wish?" he asked gently, pulling her head to rest against the front of his shoulder.

"It's nothing Inuyasha. I have all I need as long as I'm with you."

They sat in silence as the waves crashed in upon their feet.

"Do you wish me to leave Inuyasha?" Kagome asked "Do you wish to carry on without me now that our quest is finished?

" Never." he growled, his hands tightening fractionally upon her shoulders. "I want you to stay with me...forever." he whispered.

"Someday you'll wish to take a mate, and I doubt that she'll take kindly to a human woman hanging around. I doubt that any woman would understand how close we have become Inuyasha. You must realize this." she murmured, her heart breaking as each word left her mouth. She couldn't take it if he were to mate someone else. She couldn't promise him forever knowing that his taking a mate would kill her...would shatter her completely.

Inuyasha was stunned. She thought he would mate someone else? And Miroku was always telling him that HE was the dense one.

"I have no need to take a mate Kagome, so there is no need to worry about what any other female might say to you hanging around." he replied. He gathered her hair together before laying it softly over her shoulder, his gaze lingering on the graceful curve of her neck, the pale glow of her skin beneath the moonlit sky.

"Perhaps not now Inuyasha, but eventually... No one wants to be alone forever. One day you'll want a mate, and pups to call your own. It will happen Inuyasha." Kagome whispered.

"No, I have no need for a mate Kagome, no need at all. I already found mine." he whispered, his breath teasing past her ear, his tongue touching softly upon her skin. "If she'll have me."

Her head jerked toward him, her eyes wide in disbelief.

"Wh-what?" she stammered.

He smiled then, a true smile that lit up his eyes in a way she'd seldom seen.

"I have already found my mate." he replied .

"You have?" she asked, refusing to believe what she was hearing.

"I have. She is beautiful and if she'll have me, all mine. " He leaned forward then, his lips touching lightly upon hers in a kiss that she had imagined for the last few years of her life. He was gentle, loving. His mouth worked wonders upon her own until she found his tongue mating with hers in an age old dance that had her blood boiling and her heart racing. Much needed air forced the two apart and for just a moment she stared into the amber depths of his gaze.

"Why me?" she whispered, half afraid that anything louder would shatter this vision and her dreams would disappear upon the mist.

"Because I love you, stupid..." he said before his mouth once again found her skin placing hot, open mouthed kisses along her neck. He heard her breath his name, her body arching forward, her head falling to the side in a silent invitation for more, telling him with her body that she wanted him as badly as he wanted her. Words simply failed them both, their bodies moving together in a rhythm that had been set from the beginnings of time. She turned to straddle his waist, her lips finding his in a kiss that marked his very soul.

Her night gown rested high upon her hips, the straps holding the top in place falling from her shoulders as he broke the kiss to again worship her pale skin. Her touch scorched his skin and yet he burned for more, yearned for it. He found himself bare-chested within moments, though he couldn't recall just when he'd lost that piece of clothing, nor did he care as his claws raked their way down her back causing her to push against him, nearly screaming his name. He was gentle with her, always mindful of his claws, but she was very nearly erasing his control. He'd known she was passionate, but Kami, he never would have guessed she'd respond to his touch with such urgency, such wild abandon.

He pulled the straps from her shoulders, her arms pulling themselves free from the fabric, her head falling back as his mouth took first one hardened nipple then the other. Her hair fell like spilled ink across the pale skin of her back to rest upon the sand, the waves of the ocean lapping at it gently as if trying to pull it further into its deep blue depths.

"Please Inuyasha, I need... please..." she couldn't think, couldn't speak. She needed something more desperately in that moment than the very air she breathed.

"Mate.. will you be mine always, my mate?" he growled before flipping them over so that she lay beneath him. His eyes bled crimson, his fangs lengthened, and yet in that moment he was all the demon she would ever need. He was the hanyou in her dreams, the demon in her heart, and the human who resided in her soul.

"I would stay with you till the very end of time if you wished it Inuyasha. I love you...Yes...Your mate, forever." she whispered. He moved suddenly then, his hands burrowing into her hair, his mouth closing over her own in a kiss meant to show her just how very deeply he loved her. Her world shifted and in a movement she never expected she found him within her, his body one with her own, and yet there was no pain, only the building of something so intense that she found herself urging him on. She needed him, needed something only he could grant her. Her body sang, her blood pulsed. Her power shifted around them as it encircled them. It spiralled out of control as he took over her body, her senses. She screamed his name as her world shattered around her. She felt something sharp bury itself deep into her shoulder and yet she couldn't, ¦wouldn't pull away.

She could hear the echo of two heartbeats racing together in the distance, and then it dawned on her...they were one...fully mated. Once their breathing calmed and their thoughts were once again coherent she whispered "For you."

Inuyasha lapped at her neck lovingly before lifting his head to look at his new mate. "For me?"

"My wish...I wished for you to love me." she whispered, her eyes bright with her love of him.

"Stupid." he grunted. "You wasted a perfectly good wish silly...because I have loved you for a very...very long time."

She smiled then before leaning up to kiss him.

"Then prove it...again."

"Gladly." he murmured before taking her to heaven again, this time, much ...much slower...

XXXXXXXXXXX

I had origionally written this for a oneshot contest, but the characters have to be in character, and I think Sess is most likely too far ooc...what do you guys think...I hope you enjoyed..Neisha


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